Kate's ACL Revision Surgery

For those of you who know me, you'll know that I tore my ACL back in February 2022 playing rugby for London Irish Women. I underwent surgery in July 2022 on the NHS to repair my ACL, and thought that I'd be well on the road to recovery, with my sights set to returning to rugby at the start of the 2023 season.

I struggled initially with rehab and really struggled to bend my knee. My surgeon reassured me that all was normal and encouraged me to continue with rehab. I did as he said and managed to get just shy of a full bend by 4 months post op. If you've had any experience of ACL injuries, you'll know that this was not right. Once I'd managed to get some movement back, I started getting to work in the gym, but was stopped on multiple occasions because of pain in my knee. I went back to my surgeon, and once again, he assured me that everything was fine. I carried on with rehab, and have been working with an excellent physio to try and get me back on track. I was able to return to running briefly recently, but something in the knee just did not feel normal.

I went and sought 2 private opinions and was told that my initial ACL surgery was done incorrectly. The tunnels that the ACL travels to and from are in the wrong place, and the ACL itself is so loose that it's not doing it's job properly. I run the risk of dislocating my knee or damaging my meniscus if this isn't addressed.

I've been told that sport/rugby aside, if I ever want a normal functioning knee again, then I have to undergo a 2 stage surgery to completely redo my ACL.

I have spent the last 1.5 years relentlessly hammering home rehab, trying every trick in the book, but was left feeling like I still wasn't trying hard enough. To be told that my knee was never right from the start has been a tough hurdle to overcome, but has also given me some relief in that it wasn't a me problem, and no matter how much rehab I did, the knee would not improve.

The two stage surgery that I have to undergo will consist of removing everything the previous surgeon did and filling in the old tunnels with bone, likely from my pelvis. I'll have to recover for roughly 6 weeks without an ACL, and if the tunnels are healing well then they'll be able to commence stage 2, which is where they'll reconstruct my ACL again. Overall, I'll be looking at another year of recovery, with a total of 2.5 years away from sport, and a total of 3 years without a normally functioning knee.

The first stage of my surgery has been quoted at £8,000, with the second stage of my surgery being quoted at £16,000. This does not include consultant fees or scans pre/post surgery, or physio, so overall I'm looking close to £30,000.

It's gone beyond the realm of returning to sport and is now more about me having a functioning knee for the rest of my life.

I am under no illusions that this is a big ask, and I am trying to fund as much of this process as I can myself, but would appreciate any contributions big or small. The last year and half has been extremely testing, and the prospect of the next year being the same is a tough one, but if it means that I get a working knee at the end of it then I'll be a happy woman.

Appreciate any contributions, words of wisdom or just general moral support!

Kate x